to ensure the validity of classification decisions made by the Classification Board or the Classification Review Board in response to deficient or defective applications (i.e. applications that may not have met all the technical requirements of the Act) by law enforcement agencies.

to: incorporate new rules of origin for Thai goods for eligibility for preferential duty rates; and impose certain obligations on Australian exporters and Australian producers of goods who claim preferential tariff treatment in Thailand.

Introduced with the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Strategic Investment Program Amendment (Post-2005 Scheme) Bill 2004 to extend the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Strategic Investment Program for another 10 years, the bill amends the

Customs Tariff Act 1995

to: reduce customs duty rates applicable to clothing and certain finished textiles to 10 per cent from 1 January 2010 and to 5 per cent from 1 January 2015; reduce customs duty rates applicable to other textile, clothing and footwear goods to 5 per cent from 1 January 2010; and provide for customs duty credits to be applied against imports of certain clothing and textile goods until 30 June 2017.

to: provide duty-free access to certain goods and preferential rates of customs duty for other goods that are of Thai origin; phase the preferential rates of customs duty for certain goods to zero by 2015; and provide the mechanism to initiate safeguard measures on sensitive products including canned tuna, processed pineapple and pineapple juice, if necessary. Also makes contingent amendments to the

Customs Tariff Act 1995

and

US Free Trade Agreement Implementation (Customs Tariff) Act 2004

in the event the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement is not in force for Australia before TAFTA enters into force for Australia.

to: increase the Medicare rebate from 85 per cent to 100 per cent of the schedule fee for services provided by general practitioners; and ensure that families who are eligible for Family Tax Benefit Part A are also eligible for the lower $300 safety net threshold. Also contains an application provision.

in relation to: new maximum aggregate funding levels for the Commonwealth Grant Scheme; operation of summer schools; extension of time within which students must submit their Commonwealth assistance request; entitlement to HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP and OS-HELP assistance; repayments by higher education providers of advances; and definition of undergraduate and postgraduate higher education award;

to: appropriate funding for the period 1 January 2005 to 30 June 2009 for the: Indigenous Education Strategic Initiatives Programme, Indigenous Education Direct Assistance Programme, continuation of the “away-from-base” element of ABSTUDY, Indigenous Youth Leadership Programme, and Indigenous Youth Mobility Programme; specify commitments and conditions, including financial and educational accountability conditions, that must be included in funding agreements under the Act; and repeal a spent transitional provision. Also repeals the

Provides financial assistance to the States and Territories for government and non-government schools for 2005-2008 by providing for: integration of Catholic system schools in the socioeconomic status (SES) funding model for non-government schools; a funding guarantee to independent non-government schools that would otherwise be disadvantaged from updating the SES scores for 2005-2008; additional funding for the Capital Grants Program for constructions and refurbishments in non-government schools in isolated locations in the Northern Territory; establishment of the Literacy, Numeracy and Special Learning Needs Program for disadvantaged students; additional funding for capital infrastructure for schools; funding for non-government rural student hostels; and extension of the national testing and Statements of Learning to include information and communications technology. Also contains transitional provisions and a regulation-making power.

to: appropriate additional funding for the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and Projects Programme for the Tutorial Credits Initiative in 2004; and correct a technical defect in the socioeconomic status funding phasing-in arrangements for non-government schools. Also repeals the

and the Rules for the Administration of the Public Sector Superannuation Scheme (PSS) in respect of the Commonwealth Superannuation Scheme (CSS) and the PSS in relation to the superannuation salary for secretaries of departments and certain other Australian Government office holders. Also validates past determinations of superannuation salary for such scheme members and ensures that no benefit already paid will be reduced by this validation.